Moving-picture machine.



J. A; CAMERON. I MOVING PICTURE MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED NOV. 21; 1910.

1,005,936. Patented10ct.1 7,1911.

i of Kings, city JAMES CAMERON,

PATENT OFFICE.

OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

movrnerro'runn MAcnrnn.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES A. CAMERON, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the borough of Brooklyn, in the count and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Moving Picture Machines; of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates more particularlyto the mechanism for guiding the film and for imparting the continuous feeding movement thereto.

In machines of the character to which my invention has especial reference, there is usually provided a sprocket roll or somesuch equivalent device for imparting a continuous feeding movement to the film, and a device for imparting an intermittent advancing movement to the film, these two mechanisms being so related as to maintain a degree of slack in the film between the film feeding, devi e and the intermittentfilm advancing mechanism, for the advancing mechanism to act upon. Various means have been devised for adjustiogthe loop or degree of slack in the film.

Ono object of my invention is to simplify and im arove the mechanism. for ad'ustine' L \J L size of the loop. This object It acconr. 1 by the use of a film feeding roll which adjustable connection with the gears 1 7' :h operate it.

Other objects of my invention and con the looped portion of the a 'tate the threading of the film lhrough the machine in the first instance.

The manner in which I. accomplish these results will be hereinafter fully disclosed.

in the accompanying drawings 1 have illustrated a preferred embodiment of my invention but I would have it understood that various changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a broken side elevation of the upper portion of a moving picture machine, showing my invention applied thereto. Fig. 2 is horizontal. sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is another sectional view taken on the line 3-8 of Fig. 2.

Like reference characters denote correspending parts throughout the several views.

to guide ill in Specification 01' Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 17, 1911.

Application filed November 21, 1910. Serial No. 683,335.

The numeral 1 denotes a portion of the frame of a moving picture machine of that type wherein the film is intermittently advanced past an exposure opening 2, by means of a film advancing device of some sort, and a film feeding device 3 is used to provide a 100134 or a certain amount of slack in thefilm at a-point in advance of the exposure opening. This so-called film feeding device 3, which have here shown. as in the form of a constantly rotating sprocket, is preferably located in the upper portion of the machine so as to gradually withdraw the film from the film magazine and feed it forward so as to be advanced by the film advancing means. This film sprocket or roll, thus always maintains a loop of loose film for the film advancing means to act upon, and inasmuch as it is sometimes necessary to adjust the amount of this loop, I have provided form of adjustahle connection between the film feeding roll and its drivine' means. Accordingly, the said roll is preferably fixedly engaged upon a shaft 0 which. is journaled on the from and a handle 6 of some sort is used for rotatably adjusting the sprocket for the purposewif regulating the size of the loop. This handle may form. a part of or he socu ed to the sprocket, or, as shown in the drawings, it simply be made fast on the end of the shaft. Upon the other end of this shaft there is loosely engaged a driven gear '7 which receives motion from an intermeshing driving gear 8. The adjustable connection between the driven gear and the shaft which carries the sprocket preferably consistsof a ratchet 9 and one or more spring-pressed pawls 10. As a matter of convenience, the ratchet would preferably be carried by the shaft and the pawls by the driven gear but this relation may of course be reversed. As a means of protection against possible injury and derangement, the pawls are preferably located withof the driven gear, the ratchet being, re-

' ceived in this recess-as well (see particularly Fig. 2). This annular recess is preferably closed by a cover 12 so that the adjustable driving connection of the sprocket is wholly protected. This pawl. and ratcliet, construction permits the ently adjusted at will in the direction of rosprocket to be independ--.

tation so that the amount of film. loop may be regulated to any desired degree.

I have shown my improved film feeding roll in use as a loop producing device but it is not confined to this particular use and may be employed wherever an adjustable film feeding device is desired.

Before reaching the exposure opening, the film is preferably passed over a guide of some sort, usually in the form of a guide roll 13, having end flanges 14 for giving the desired lateral. register to the film. In order to confine the film loop somewhat and to assist in securing the lateral register of the film, I preferably locate a guide 15 in advance of the guide roll 13. This guide may also be in the form of a guide roll, substantially as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, and may be provided with confining flanges 16 for bold ing the film. in proper alinement with the exposure opening. In order to facilitate the threading up of the film, the loop confining guide roll is preferably movably related to the first guidcroll 13. For this reason it may be engaged on a pintle 17 carried by one end of a pivoted swinging support 18.

Some means are usually necessary to confine the film in proper engagement with the film feeding roll. Such means I provide preferably in the form of a guardroll 19. This guard roll may be engaged on a pintle 20 carried by the other end of the swinging support. By means of this arrangement, when the swinging support is shifted upon its pivotal center 21, the guard roll will be disengaged from the film feeding roll and the loop confining roll will be simultane ously moved zuvay'from the guide roll 13, thus permitting the film to be freely inserted in the machine. For the purpose of manipulating these two rolls, a handle 22 is preferably provided which may, as shown in Fig. 2, be simply an extension of one of the pintles carrying either the roll 15 or the,

roll 19. The guard and guide rolls are normally held in their operative position by some suitable means such as the spring 23.

It will be understood that my invention as a whole or the various features thereof may. be applied either to the camera for taking the pictures or to the projector for exhibiting the same.

"What is claimed, is:

1. in a moving picture machine, a film feeding roll, a guide roll spaced apart there from to permit the film to assume a loop between the film advancing roll. and guide roll, a movable support, a guard carried thereby for cooperation with the film feeding roll, and a guide also carried by the'support for eofi 'ieration with the guide roll.

2. In a moving picture machine, a film feeding roll and a. guide roll spaced apart therefrom, a. swinging support, a guard roll carried. by one end of said support to copgera-te with the film feeding roll, and a g ide roll carried by the other end of the support to coiiperate with the first guide roll.

3. In a moving picture machine, a film feeding roll and a guide roll spaced apart therefrom, a swinging support, a guard roll carried by one end of said support to cooperate with the film feeding roll, a guide roll carried by the other end of the support to cooperate with thefirst guide roll, and means for normally holding said support so that'the rolls carried thereby will be in 0perative position.

In a moving picture machine, a film feeding roll, a guide roll spaced apart therefrom, a pivoted support, pintles carried by the opposite ends of said support, rolls engaged on said pintles for cooperation with the film feeding roll and the guide roll and one of the pintles being extended to serve as a handle for operating the support.

5. In a moving picture machine, a .film feeding roll, a guide roll spaced apart therefrom to permit the film to form a loop between the film feeding roll and the guide roll, and a loop-confining guide roll movably related to the first guide roll and spaced therefrom so as to guide the film to the first guide roll.

6. Tn amoving picture machine, an adjustable film feeding sprocket, a guide roll located at a distance therefrom to permit the film to form a loop between the sprocket and the guide roll, a pivoted support, a guard roll carried by one end of said support for engagement with the sprocket roll, a roll carried by the other end of the support adapted to guide the film to the guide roll, and means for normally holding the support with the rolls carried thereby in operative relation.

7. In a moving picture machine, a film feeding roll, a guide roll located at a distance therefrom to permit the film to form a loop between the film feeding roll and guide roll, a guardroll associated With the film feeding roll to hold. the film in engagement therewith, a loop-confining guide roll adjacent the first guide roll to direct the film thereto, and means for simultaneously with drawing the guard roll from the film feed ing roll and the loop-confining guide roll from the first guide roll.

8. in a moving picture machine, relalively fixed rolls spaced apart and over which the film is guided, a swinging sup port pivoted on a center located between the rolls, and rolls carried on the ends of said support, one of said movable rolls col-Sperating with the underside of one of the sta tionary rolls and the other movable roll cooperating with the uppersidc of the other stationary roll.

9. In a moving picture machine, a film feeding mil, :1 guide r011 spaced apart there- Signed at New York in the count'y of New Tram, a swinging support pivoted between York and State of New York this 4th day said, mils, and rolls carried on the ends of. of November A. D. 1910. the swingi rating ans with JAMES A. CAMERON.

guide mil and the Witnesses: 

